Telco & media reforms continue | ACMA

Telco & media reforms continue

MR 21/2013 - 10 April 2013

Robustly protecting telco consumers, ensuring telco network performance, making further spectrum available for 4G mobile broadband, refreshing broadcasting content safeguards, and a raft of initiatives to support users in a networked digital world are the centre piece of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s current work according to a wide ranging speech by its Chairman, Chris Chapman.

Mr Chapman today told the Communication’s Day Summit, the ACMA was strongly championing a spectrum plan which portended a $30 smart phone handset and potential economic benefits to Australian consumers and the country’s GDP of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Mr Chapman said early signs from the ACMA’s renewed telco consumer work were very encouraging, with a 20% drop in complaints. The industry had stopped using confusing terms, such as capped and free, and had added standard charging information to mobile and internet plans. And according to Mr Chapman, the majority of large and medium operators had rolled out new easy-to-understand Critical Information Summaries.

‘If you’re a participant in this part of the communications business and think (hope) that the ACMA has run out of energy, better luck in a different sector—the ACMA will continue to track over time the impact of the changes,’ Mr. Chapman warned.

However, he said rising complaints about mobile networks’ performance suggested consumer expectations were not being met in that space and extended an invitation to the industry and consumer groups to improve transparency of information around performance.

The release of a paper, Regulatory strategies for a network economy and society, to better respond to emerging areas of concern around digital content, identity and reputation.

Research to inform responses to protecting personal data, mobile app issues such as consent, personal and financial risk and privacy, the deployment of cloud computing and new wireless technologies, such as Near Field Communications.

Modelling to forecast the economic mobile technology impacts of various spectrum supply scenarios.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Emma Rossi, Media Manager, (02) 9334 7719 and 0434 652 063 or media@acma.gov.au.